POPE, a bishop of the Christian Church; specifically, the Bishop of Rome. The term Papa, or Papas (father), has always been given by the Greek Church to presbyters, like the term Father now applied to a Roman priest. In the early centuries the bishops received the same title till, in a council held at Rome in 1076, at the instance of Gregory VII. (Hildebrand), it was limited to the Bishop of Rome. Holding that office, being also Metropolitan of Rome and primate, and claiming to be the earthly head of the Church universal, it is in the last named capacity that the term Pope is held to be specially applicable. It has been a matter of controversy among Roman Catholics whether the authority of the Pope was above or below that of the General Council. That of Pisa (1409), claiming to be a General Council, deposed two rival Popes, and appointed a third; but the two former repudiated the authority of the council, and exer cised their functions as before. The Council of Constance (1414-1418) also deposed two rival Popes and elected one. In 751 Pope Zachary being consulted as to the right of the warlike French to depose their incompetent king, Childeric, and raise Pepin, the able mayor of the palace, to the sovereignty, sanctioned the proceeding. Pepin, in return, became his friend, and handed over to the Church the Exarchate and the Pentap olis. Charlemagne, in 774, confirmed and enlarged the gift. In 1076 or 1077 the Princess Matilda, daughter of Boni face, Duke of Tuscany, made the Holy See heir to her extensive possessions. Thus arose "the States of the Church" which figured on the map of Europe as an independent sovereignty till Sept. 20, 1870, when the troops of Victor Em manuel, King of Italy, entered Rome, nominally in the interests of order, and took possession of the palace for the Italian kingdom. On July 2 and 3, 1871, the seat of government was removed thither. It still continues the metropo lis. No interference took place with the Pope's purely spiritual authority, but much with his temporal possessions and revenues.
A Papal Election.—When the death of the reigning Pope is imminent the Dean of the College of Cardinals summons his colleagues to the residence of the dying pontiff. Prayers are ordered in all the
Roman churches. Immediately after the death of the Pope the cardinal earner lingo knocks thrice on the door of the bed chamber where the body lies. Get ting no answer, he enters and with a sil ver mallet taps thrice on the forehead of the dead man, calling him three times by name. The announcement of the Pope's death is then publicly made and the cardinal camerlingo takes an inventory of the property in the palace and seals up the dead pontiff's papers. Nine days is the official period of mourning. On the ninth day the remains, which have been lying in state in St. Peter's, are accorded a magnificent public funeral and are placed in the temporary receiv ing tomb, there to remain till the next Pope dies, when they are interred in the crypt of St. Peter's. Then all is ready for the conclave which meets to elect a new Pope.
The cardinals from all over the world gather in the palace, and to preserve secrecy, the quarters occupied by them are isolated, every door, window, and other aperture, being walled up. After attending the mass of the Holy Ghost, the cardinals march in solemn and splen did procession to the chapel, from which at the ringing of a bell all but the cardinals are ejected. Then the great doors are locked on the outside and from that time on the conclave has no osten sible connection with the outside world. Two dumb waiters in which the food for the cardinals is delivered are the only means of communication. About 10 o'clock of the second morning the car dinals proceed to the Sistine Chapel, if the conclave is to be held in the Vatican, and the balloting begins. Three car dinals are chosen to count the ballots and three to collect the ballots of those whom sickness detains in their cells. On the upper part of the ballot each cardinal writes his own name, below it the name of his candidate, and at the bottom some verse of Scripture. The ballots are then folded and sealed, so that only the name of the candidate voted for is in sight.